Peliosus (3.5e Deity)
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| Greater Deity | |
|---|---|
| Symbol: | Scales balanced over a mountain |
| Home Plane: | Prime (Chalimba) |
| Alignment: | Lawful Neutral |
| Portfolio: | Law, Death, Knowledge, Judgment, Earth |
| Clergy Alignments: | Lawful |
| Domains: | Artifice, Community, Creation, Earth, Law, Magic, Nobility, Repose, Sun, Time |
| Favored Weapon: | warhammer |
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Peliosus is a giant of granite and obsidian with one bright fiery eye. His movements under ground cause mountain ranges to rise and the earth itself to shake. Volcanic eruptions are caused by his mightiest servants leaving his realm below to carry out his bidding. The mighty host who attends Peliosus is made of archons, devils, and elementals of earth with a detailed hierarchy and set of duties for everyone in the realm. The souls petitioning Peliosus form an orderly queue from the front of his throne stretching on to infinity with designated archons and devils picking out souls of merit to fill vacancies in their own ranks. Peliosus has been known to appear as a pillar of volcanic rock or an ancient dwarf with a cane of gold.
All Clerics of Peliosus turn undead and channel positive energy. In addition, any cleric of Peliosus who takes the Earth domain gains the ability to rebuke earth creatures and turn air creatures. Druids who worship Peliosus do not gain the ability to turn or rebuke.
Dogma[edit]
Upholding traditions and laws and respecting those of higher station is the meat of Peliosus's dogma. His followers are expected to uphold the ideals of law at all times and to hold others to the same standard.
Clergy and Temples[edit]
The clergy of Peliosus are a stoic lot with a framework of regulations, rituals, and strict hierarchies that would make any bureaucrat envious. Priests spend time waiting as petitioners to the clergy before being confirmed as initiates. Ordainment as a full priest comes only after an initiate can recite the full list of commandments. Further advancement requires a deeper understanding of the holy texts, saints, and organization of both the church and the cosmos as well as the support of one's superiors.
Temples to the god of the earth are a magnificent affair of stone. Even minor shrines are always crafted from slabs of stone, the greater temples are towering structures of marble and granite. The sites approved for construction of a house of Peliosus are caverns of stone, wind-scoured summits of mountains or hills where the bedrock is exposed, prominent sections of large cities, and the halls of rulers. Most large cities have a magnificent temple to Peliosus, but even in a smaller town there is often a small shrine to him in a government building. The grandest temple to the god of kings is in the city of Koorbrook.
Sects[edit]
While dissent on the teachings of Peliosus is heresy there have been disagreements on what aspects of his teachings are to be considered most important and how those tenants should be applied to the world at large.
Fathers of Order: These traditionalists believe that nothing should interfere with order. Good and evil are meaningless distractions that may confuse less devout men. Everyone has a place in society and if they perform their duties diligently then society, and its members, prosper. Social orders are necessarily fixed and rigid to ensure proper skill sets at all tasks. It is only natural that those at the top ranks of society reap the largest rewards since they must guide all the lesser beings beneath their station. Laws and punishments should be uniformly applied to the masses but exceptions must be made for the ruling classes. Change is anathema to this sect and they work very hard to ensure that any social change is spread over an incredibly long time. The Fathers usually display a triangle as either part of their coat of arms or a piece of jewelry. The Fathers of Order are usually Lawful Neutral.
Seekers of Justice: Fair and just rule is the best way to achieve order. While a firm social structure is necessary it need not be entirely inflexible. As neighbors help neighbors and sons honor their fathers society builds a strong foundation on which the ruling class must shape a civilization. The Seekers believe that acts of kindness actually foster a natural order to society and the upper class need only lead by example and remove any subversive elements. Laws must apply to everyone as well as be applied evenly and punishments must fit the crimes to which they are applied. Seekers of Justice often wear a golden warhammer pin or necklace. The Seekers of Justice are usually Lawful Good.
Tyrants: Order comes only from power. Since Peliosus teaches that order is the only goal worth striving for we must amass as much power as possible so as to instill order. While laws must be enforced, they do occasionally need pushed aside in the quest for more power and authority, as long as no one is in a position to enforce them. Separation of the social classes must be harshly enforced. Laws and punishments must be strict and harsh, at least when applied to the lower classes. It is a sacred duty to subjugate those beneath one in station or power. Only through such constant reinforcement does order develop. Tyrants always wield a highly decorated warhammer in combat and are rarely separated from their weapon. The Tyrants are usually Lawful Evil.
Purists: Order comes only from a commitment to laws, traditions and norms. To taint ones belief with either kindness or greed is sacrilege. The tainted views of some within our priesthood is a most serious threat and must be rooted out and corrected. In addition, the servants of Aphtion must be opposed. As such, the rooting out of heresy and destruction of chaos must both be addressed. Purists wear a ring with their deity's holy symbol, scales balancing on a mountain. Peliosus's purists are usually Lawful Neutral.
Judges: Society is crumbling around us! Lawbreakers must be punished, and since the government is unable to do so then we must. Shunning, stoning, honor killings, and public humiliation are all fine tools to ensure the populace conducts themselves in an honorable and upstanding manner. Informing on ones neighbors, demanding harsh punishments for all crimes and a general sense of righteousness are hallmarks of the followers of this sect. The priests are even more militant in their views and often take the role of judge or executioners in the community. The symbol of the Judges is scales weighing one heart against another. Judges are usually Lawful Neutral or Lawful Evil.
Keepers of the Great Book: Knowledge is a great source of power and to Keepers amassing as much knowledge as possible and codifying it for easy access is their calling. Though rare for these priests to sermon, they occasionally minister to scribes, wizards and similarly minded folk. Keepers and their followers usually find their calling while transcribing or translating an ancient text and stumbling onto the answer to a philosophical debate. By middle age the hunger for lost information blossoms into a passion for collecting rare tomes or sitting quietly in a tavern soaking up local gossip for later entry into a journal. In the advanced stages of life these priests and their followers are veritable storehouses of information that would put a well traveled bard to shame. Keepers of the Great Book are easily identified by the ink stains on their fingertips and smell of parchment, but they often wear a piece of scroll shaped jewelry to help identify one another. Keepers can be any Lawful alignment.
Cyclic Druids: These priests of Peliosus are usually at odds with the rest of their order for they believe that the design of the world is to find balance rather than a more mundane order. Pointing to the harmony of the seasons, the balance of day and night, life and death, even the opposing deities, these Cyclic Druids strive for a "natural order." This splinter group is strongly frowned upon by the rest of Peliosus's priesthood but grudgingly tolerated as long as they stick to the wilderness and don't contradict the more mainstream teachings. While Cyclic Druids are involved in a form of nature worship and associate with the order of Druids, they are in fact Clerics of Peliosus rather than true Druids. These priests usually bear their golden hourglass holy symbol proudly. Cyclic Druids may be any Lawful alignment.
Pantheon[edit]
Chalimbic pantheon
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